Democratic People's Republic of Michigan (A better world TL)
History Pre-1914 *''See: the United States of America (A better world TL)'' The Pullman Strike was a nationwide railroad strike in the United States on May 11, 1894, and a turning point for US labor law. It pitted the American Railway Union (ARU) against the Pullman Company, the main railroads, and the federal government of the United States under President Grover Cleveland. The strike and boycott shut down much of the nation's freight and passenger traffic west of Detroit, Michigan. The conflict began in Pullman, Chicago, on May 11 when nearly 4,000 factory employees of the Pullman Company began a wildcat strike in response to recent reductions in wages. Debs and the ARU called a massive boycott against all trains that carried a Pullman car. It affected most rail lines west of Detroit (which would go communist in the 1960s) and at its peak involved some 250,000 workers in 27 states. The Anti-Serbia War (1914-1918) *''See: the United States of America (A better world TL)'' The inter-war years *''See: the United States of America (A better world TL)'' Russian Revolution (1917-1924) *''See: the United States of America (A better world TL)'' The Great Depression (1929-1940) *''See: the United States of America (A better world TL)'' Communism had been rolling on m Michigan and the auto-industry since the early 1930s. The then ailing Ford motor company collapsed in the mid 1930s and it's assets and staff were transferred to GM. The Great East Asia War (1931-1946) *''See: the United States of America (A better world TL)'' The Anti-Hitlerian War (1939-1946) *''See: the United States of America (A better world TL)'' Cold War *''See: the United States of America (A better world TL)'' Michigan never actually ended up filing for bankruptcy as expected, so it instead becomes a powerful industrial state in the 1940s. However, the workers became unhappy with factorie life by the mid 1960s and with the help of the USSR manage to turn Michigan into a communist state in 1977. The gasoline crisis of 1973 and 1979 also affected Detroit and the U.S. auto industry. Buyers chose smaller, more fuel-efficient cars made by foreign makers as the price of gas rose. Efforts to revive the city were stymied by the struggles of the auto industry, as their sales and market share declined. Automakers laid off thousands of employees and closed plants in the city, further eroding the tax base. To counteract this, the city used eminent domain to build two large new auto assembly plants in the city. In November 1973, the city elected Coleman Young as its first black mayor. After taking office, Young emphasized increasing racial diversity in the police department. Young also worked to improve Detroit's transportation system, but tension between Young and his suburban counterparts over regional matters was problematic throughout his mayoral term. In 1976, the federal government offered $600 million for building a regional rapid transit system, under a single regional authority. But the inability of Detroit and its suburban neighbors to solve conflicts over transit planning resulted in the region losing the majority of funding for rapid transit. Following the failure to reach an agreement over the larger system, the City moved forward with construction of the elevated downtown circulator portion of the system, which became known as the Detroit People Mover. As mayor, Young sought to revive the city by seeking to increase investment in the city's declining downtown. The Renaissance Center, a mixed-use office and retail complex, opened in 1977. This group of skyscrapers was an attempt to keep businesses in downtown. Young also gave city support to other large developments to attract middle and upper-class residents back to the city. Despite the Renaissance Center and other projects, the downtown area continued to lose businesses to the automobile dependent suburbs. Major stores and hotels closed and many large office buildings went vacant. Young was criticized for being too focused on downtown development and not doing enough to lower the city's high crime rate and improve city services. The Soviet and Cuban promoted job riots and stirred up radicals in the unvertys and trades unions. The Socialist Party of Michigan (SPMI) is the state chapter of the banned (as of 1973) Socialist Party USA in the former U.S. state of Michigan. A party by the same name was the affiliate of the Socialist Party of America from 1901 until the national party renamed itself in a 1973 split. Communist Union of Michigan was the party's armed wing and fought the a short-lived state in the Great Lakes Civil War of 1977-1979 against the Junta, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Walter Mondale. Its primary base was in Michigan, although it managed to occupy nearby counties Ohio, northern Wisconsin and parts of Illinois during the war. In its wider sense, a short-lived socalist\communist federation of states in the Great Lakes Region of North America, created during the Second Civil War of 1974-1994, beween 1977-1979. Its primary base was in Michigan, although it managed to occupy northern Ohio, northern Wisconsin, Milwaukee and parts of Illinois during the 3 year expansionist war. It would be driven back to the 'Mitten' part of Michigan by Canadian, Quebecor, American and New England forces in 1981. The situation would be resolved by the 1981 Treaty of Detroit (A better world TL) and 1978 Great Lakes Conference (A better world TL). 1990s Life today Economy With expansion of the auto industry in the early 20th century, the city and its suburbs experienced rapid growth, and by the 1940s, the city had become the fourth-largest in the country. However, due to industrial restructuring, the loss of jobs in the auto industry, and rapid suburbanization, Detroit lost considerable population from the late 20th century to the present. Since reaching a peak of 1.85 million at the 1950 census, Detroit's population has declined by more than 60 percent. . . Organisations #1978 Great Lakes Conference (A better world TL) #1981 Treaty of Detroit (A better world TL) Category:Michigan Category:A better world (TL)